1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a hinge assembly and, more particularly, a hinge assembly for pivotally supporting the lower end of an upright refrigerator or freezer door.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is common practice throughout the refrigeration industry to mount a lower door hinge bracket to a channel support leg of a refrigeration cabinet weld assembly by utilizing a flat mounting plate provided with threaded holes. A plurality of fasteners extend through the hinge bracket and the cabinet weld assembly and are threadably received within the holes in the mounting plate. By this arrangement, the cabinet weld assembly is sandwiched between the door hinge bracket and the mounting plate. The hinge bracket is adapted to support a door and carries an upstanding pivot pin about which the door can pivot.
Although this prior art hinge assembly can support static vertical loads, it fails to adequately accommodate side loads exerted thereupon, whether dynamic or static in nature. In practice the lower hinge brackets according to the prior art are initially secured substantially perpendicular to cabinet weld assemblies in order to accommodate the highest possible vertical loads. However, the prior art hinge assemblies have been found to axially twist, for various reasons, thereby resulting in the handle side of the door shifting downwardly.
For example, most refrigeration cabinets, i.e, either refrigerator or freezer units, are provided with door liners which are adapted to store refrigerated articles. These articles can substantially increase the weight of the door and the loads that must be sustained by the lower hinge assembly. These same loads can result in shifting of the door if the hinge assembly cannot withstand the resulting forces which tend to twist the hinge assembly. Even with unloaded doors or doors which are not provided with article storing liners, downward shifting of the doors have been found to occur due to dynamic loads incurred during shipping of the units. Also, there is a trend to make thicker doors so that the refrigeration cabinet can be provided with more insulation and thus be more energy efficient than earlier models. This increased thickness and insulation can significantly add to the weight of the door.
The loads exerted upon the lower hinge bracket can also be transmitted to the cabinet weld assembly itself and result in deformation of the cabinet. In addition, if cabinet flanges of the cabinet weld assembly, at which the lower hinge bracket is secured, are not formed perpendicular to the sides of the cabinet, the hinge assembly could be secured to the cabinet weld assembly in a toe-out position which would also result in shifting of the handle side of the door downwardly.
Shifting of the door in the manner discussed above can result in misalignment of the door within the door opening of the cabinet and could alter the effectiveness of the door seal, thereby reducing the efficiency of the refrigeration unit, Therefore, a need exists in the art for a hinge assembly for use in a refrigeration cabinet or the like which will not only accommodate static vertical loads, but also static and dynamic side loads so as to minimize or prevent associated door drop and cabinet flange deformation.